Wherever is Your Heart
by yogakills
Summary: Starts in "Partings." Luke doesn't let Lorelai walk away, instead he goes after and they make a plan for their future.
1. Let's elope

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

**Picks up in "Partings." I know stories there are several stories out there like this but this is my take.**

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"Well, try married!" Lorelai argued.

A makeshift, last minute therapy session in the back of Lynnie's car made her realize that she didn't necessarily have Luke in the way that she wanted. Lynnie was a psychologist that her mother invited to dinner in hopes of setting her up with Christopher. Lorelai had no idea why her parents would do that but she ended up talking to her, telling her all about her problems recently, and ending up receiving advice from Lynnie that she should ask for what she wanted. That's what she was here doing, asking for what she wanted, and what she wanted was to be married to Luke. So she asked him to elope with her but he didn't seem too taken with the idea.

"Just wait!" Luke argued back.

He was shocked, to say the least. Lorelai, who was so thrilled that she could plan her own wedding, was now throwing all that out the window and asking him to elope. She was throwing all of this at him so fast that he had no time to process anything. He was never a 'just-jump-right-in' kind of person. He needed time to process, to think.

Lorelai, near the verge of tears, yelled back at him. "No! I'm not waiting! It's now or never!"

"I don't like ultimatums!"

"I don't like Mondays, but unfortunately they come around eventually."

"I can't just jump like this."

Lorelai sucked in a breath. "Well I'm sorry to hear that," she replied in a defeated tone. She made a sniffling sound, running her fingers through her hair while looking everywhere but at Luke. Tears stung her eyes when she realized that there was nothing left to do now but walk away. She locked eyes with Luke again. "And I have to go." Her voice strained and wracked with tears as she spoke.

Luke stood helpless as he watched her walk away. He saw as she ducked her head and wrapped her arms tight around her body as she walked down the street. It hurt him to see her cry, to see her look so heartbroken. During her rant she questioned whether or not he loved her. Of course, he loved her. How could she ever question that? She was the love of his life.

Then suddenly everything clicked. All of what Lorelai said during her rant about eloping just now made sense. He realized that he had kept her at arm's length, that during these last few weeks he hadn't really shown that he loved her. He realized that she wasn't herself recently. She was almost a shell of herself. And he had a role to play in that. He was keeping her out of his life. She was right about that. He hurt her and didn't even recognize that he did. He thought Lorelai was fine but her ultimatum just now proved that the past few months she wasn't fine at all.

He had just given TJ a talk on this the other day about understanding your partner and being able to recognize what your partner actually means as opposed to what they were saying. That sometimes they don't always tell you exactly how they are feeling but it was your job to figure that out. He nearly smacked himself when he realized it did not of that with Lorelai these past few months. He never looked deeper, he never tried to analyze what she was saying. He just took her at his word. He never thought he would screw up worse than T.J.

He needed to do something about this. He had to stop Lorelai before she completely walked out of his life. She wasn't too far away but he knew that if he stood here any longer, he might miss his chance. He loved her and was not going to let her get away.

"Lorelai! Wait!" Luke yelled, he began to sprint down the road towards her not caring that various townies were watching him.

Lorelai didn't turn around when he first called her name. He didn't stop before why would he stop her now? But the second time he called her name, he sounded more urgent. She could hear desperation in her voice as he told her to just stop and wait again. So she turned around, avoided the stares from various town people, and waited for him to come to her. She quickly wiped at the tears that fell upon her cheeks.

It was just a matter of seconds before Luke caught up to her. Running track in high-school was definitely coming in handy now. He now stood before as she looked at him waiting for him to open his mouth and say something. He saw just how heartbroken she looked, the evidence of tears on her face that she looked like she tried to wipe away, all of which he knew he caused. He hated himself for hurting her.

"Does it have to be right now? Right this minute?" Luke finally asked.

Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"Eloping," Luke clarified. "Do we have to leave right this minute?"

Lorelai was confused. He just expressed disinterest in eloping and now he here he was asking if they had to elope right this minute. But him asking still gave her hope that this was him coming after her, that tonight was the end for them.

"Well people don't usually plan elopements Luke, it just happens," Lorelai shot back.

"Just listen," Luke urged. "I know you just said Maryland and I don't know if it necessarily has to be Maryland but I'm thinking we can leave tomorrow. We'll take a few days off work, elope wherever you want to elope, and spend the weekend away from everyone...just the two of us."

"Well..." Lorelai thought about it. When she came to him eloping, she did meant right now but what Luke was saying would work just as well. Tomorrow they could elope.

"Or if you want to, we can leave right now, we'll go somewhere," Luke replied. "But if we leave tomorrow, you can make sure that Rory is there. I know you wouldn't want to do anything like this without Rory there."

Lorelai nodded. Rory would be upset if she wasn't there. Rory definitely needed to be there. "Promise me that we'll do it tomorrow."

"What?" Luke asked, it was once again his turn to be confused.

"You promised that we would get married before and we never followed through on that. If we don't leave right now, promise me that we will elope tomorrow," Lorelai replied, desperation in her eyes. "I just want to make sure that tomorrow, we will be on our way to somewhere to elope."

"Of course Lorelai," Luke replied. "We can leave tomorrow, bright and early. We'll make sure that Rory is there and we will get married." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly to assure her. "We'll do this. I promise. This just gives us time to pack. You get your dress and I'll get my tux."

Lorelai smiled a genuine, bright smile. She smiled because Luke was promising to marry her and this time they would follow through. She smiled because Luke was thinking of Rory being there as well. She smiled because she felt better than she had in months. "Tomorrow."

"Or tonight if you want."

"Tomorrow is better. Rory can be there," Lorelai replied quickly. "She's busy tonight, she wouldn't make it. But tomorrow she can make it."

Luke thought of April. But he knew that no matter how much cajoling Anna wouldn't allow April to follow them to wherever they were going tomorrow just to see them elope. Anna was another thing he needed to fix in his life. He needed to stand up to her. But for now, he needed to focus on Lorelai. Spending the next few days away from everyone would help to do just that. This was what he wanted.

"So what now?" Lorelai asked when she noticed Luke had fallen silent.

"I say we go home and pack for our trip that way we don't have to do it in the morning and we can leave first thing," Luke suggested.

"You don't really have anything at the house," Lorelai stated sadly. He hadn't spent the night there in a while, there were only a few things of his at the house but not enough for a trip, even if it was just for a few days.

Luke hated the way her expression changed when she had to admit that he didn't really have anything at her house. At this point in their relationship he definitely should have things at her place. Well their place. They did renovate it together. It was their place now, not just hers. He couldn't even remember the last night he spent over there.

"The day we get back, I'll move stuff in," Luke promised. "For now, you go home and start packing. I'll go get my stuff from the apartment and I'll meet you at home soon."

Lorelai nodded. "Sounds good. Don't take too long."

Luke chuckled. "Twenty minutes," he replied. "I'll be in and out in twenty minutes."

Lorelai giggled. "Dirty."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I'll meet you at home."

Lorelai nodded again. "Yeah at home."

Luke cupped the side of her face and brought his face down level with hers. He pressed his lips against hers and kissed her passionately. He didn't care that they were well within viewing distance of most of the town, he poured all the love he felt for her into that kiss. She wrapped his arms around her neck and lost herself in the kiss, as if they were the only two people in the world at the moment.

Lorelai broke from the kiss and laid her forehead against the kiss as she tried to catch her breath. Luke pulled back slightly and brushed the hair out of her face, he tucked it behind her ear.

"We are doing this," he reassured her. "I love you, don't ever doubt that. I love you so much."

"I love you too," Lorelai whispered softly. She quickly pecked his lips before turning him around and pushing him back in the direction of the diner. "Now go get your stuff and meet me at home in twenty."

With another quick kiss, they parted ways. Luke headed back to the diner in order to kick everyone out and gather what he would need from the apartment for their trip away. Lorelai walked home with a literal pep in her step. Things were taking a turn for the better and she felt happier than she had in months. She felt just as happy as when she managed to plan the wedding in just one day after reconnecting with Rory, just before everything started to head down a bad path.

Lorelai lost herself in her thoughts as she walked back home as she tried to figure out just what she would pack for their trip. They had no real plans on where they would go so that made packing just a bit harder. But just because Luke said he would be here in twenty minutes didn't mean that she had to pack in twenty minutes. She would end up packing more than he did, he was a very minimal packer. She would have enough time to pack everything that she needed.

Lorelai knew that she and Luke still needed to talk about a lot of things to make sure that they would be on the same page with everything but for now, this was going to happen. They would elope. Things would get better after that, she was sure.

* * *

Lorelai had the full intention of packing once she arrived home. But as she pulled her wedding dress out of the closet, which was still in the dress box, she stumbled upon a bag of lingerie she bought in preparation for the wedding night and the honeymoon. Since she couldn't remember the last time that she and Luke actually had sex, she decided to abandon her packing for the moment and instead give him a little preview of the honeymoon. He wouldn't mind that she didn't pack once he saw what she was planning on wearing.

Lorelai plucked her lingerie option from the night from the bag, ushered Paul Anka out of the room and down the stairs, then headed back into the bedroom where she quickly changed into the black lacy baby-doll and thong set that she purchased from Victoria's Secret.

Once dressed, or rather undressed, Lorelai headed into the bathroom. She quickly washed her face to make sure that it didn't look like she had been crying earlier. Lorelai ran her fingers through her hair, making sure the curls fell just right around her shoulders. She was just applying a fresh coat of lip-gloss when she heard the front door open and Luke call out to her.

"Upstairs," Lorelai responded as she dashed out of the bathroom and tried to think of a sexy pose in which to lay upon the bed for when Luke walked in.

Luke walked right past Paul Anka, who was sitting at the bottom of the stairs, and headed up to the bedroom. He stopped in the doorway and dropped his bag at his feet when he saw Lorelai sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs crossed. She smiled and stood up to greet him.

"I found this while packing," Lorelai explained as she strode over to him, she gestured down to what she was wearing. "I figured tonight wouldn't be such a bad time to give you a little glimpse of what our honeymoon should look like."

"Did you actually pack?" Luke asked when Lorelai stopped in front of him.

Lorelai shook her head no. "Hmm nope, but is that really what you want to focus on right now?" she asked, she grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him closer to him. "Because I can think of something a whole hell of a lot more fun than packing."

Luke placed his hands on her hips, lifting up her top in the slightest way. He roamed his eyes up and down her body, her outfit left little to the imagination. When he began to trail his fingers across her warm skin, he heard her let out a soft moan. It had been way too long since they were in this position.

"And what would that be?" Luke asked huskily.

Lorelai smirked as she released her hold on him and began walking backwards. "Oh I think you know," she replied as she crawled onto the bed. She propped herself up on her elbows and beckoned Luke to come her way with a saucy grin.

Within seconds, Luke had taken of his shoes, shed his jacket and baseball cap, and was at the edge of the bed gazing down upon Lorelai. When she made a come hither gesture with her finger, he leaned down on the bed and hovered over her.

Lorelai immediately placed both hands on the sides of his face and covered his lips with hers. She kissed him fiercely. Her legs wrapped around his waist and pulled him down onto her until she could feel his entire body weight pressed against hers. She moaned feeling his arousal grow. Her hands tugged at his hair as he deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth.

"God Luke," Lorelai panted as he broke the kiss and began trailing kisses down her face and down to her neck where he sucked, licked, and nibbled in all the places that he knew drove her absolutely crazy.

When she tried to move her hands to touch him and rid him of his clothes, Luke pulled back and told her that for right now, it was all about her. And she was not one to argue with that kind of proposition. She laid back and gave into him as he rained kisses up and down her body, worshiping every single inch of her. She moaned and panted his name begging him to hurry up but Luke told her that he was going to take her time and show her just how much he loved her.

They both knew that there was a lot more that they needed to talk about. They had a lot of bases to cover but for right now all that mattered was that they were together and tomorrow they would elope then spend a few days together just the two of them. They loved each other and they were definitely committed one another. Talking would come in time, just to make sure they were on the same track, but for now all that mattered was here and now with them proving to one another just how much they loved each other.

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**So this story idea came to me after I finished my latest re-watching of Gilmore Girls.**

**This is maybe slightly unrealistic, but hey it is fanfiction people. I have a lot planned for this story.**

**I'm working on another update for my other story but that one was always intended to be a short story so I figured I could go ahead and start this one as well.**

**Please leave a review!**


	2. On The Way

**Disclaimer in first chapter.**

**Thanks for reading! **

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Bright and early the next morning, Lorelai stretched awake. For a quick irrational moment she panicked that last night was just a very realistic dream since Luke's side of the bed was empty. But the evidence of his clothes strewn across the room and her nakedness under the covers made her realize that last night wasn't a dream and it did indeed happen. Luke was actually at the house for once, they had spent an amazing night together, and today they would be off on their trip to elope and just get away.

Lorelai climbed out of bed, grabbed Luke's discarded flannel from the floor, and slipped it on her body. She began to button her shirt as she made her way out of the bedroom and down the stairs. She was just finishing buttoning the last button when she walked into the kitchen and found Luke sitting at the kitchen table with the phone pressed up against his ear. Lorelai poured herself a cup of coffee as Luke wrapped up his phone call.

"Alright, thank you," Luke said into the phone before he clicked it off and set it down on the table next to a pad of paper and a pen.

"Who was that on the phone?" Lorelai asked, she leaned back against the counter and sipped at her coffee.

Luke stood up from the table and walked over to Lorelai. He rested his hands on her hips as he spoke. "Last night I know you said we could go to Maryland to elope and I'm not sure if you really meant Maryland or not but I called around to a few places this morning and I made us reservations at an Inn in Martha's Vineyard. You were right last night, I said it would be fine at Martha's Vineyard so I just figured we would go back there for this. But if you do want to go and see Maryland then I can call around to some other places."

"Wow," Lorelai sighed. "I think that's the most I heard you say at one time, besides when you rant." Before he could say anything else, she smiled as she said, "But Martha's Vineyard sounds great."

"Good, good," Luke smiled. "I also reserved Rory a room at the Inn but I wasn't sure how long she was going to stay there or if she would need to get back to whatever she needs to do."

"I'll talk to her."

Lorelai sat her coffee cup down on the counter then draped her arms around Luke's shoulders as his hand moved from her hips and his arms encircled her waist. She stood smiling up at him, happier in this moment than she felt in the past few months. She wanted to marry Luke and Luke wanted to marry her, it seemed that everything was falling into place. This should clear up any of the issues regarding her to get to know April and then things would be on their way to happily ever after. At least that is what she hoped would happen. But today she was just going to focus on the here and now and nothing after.

"We should probably leave soon or at least sometime this morning so we'll make it there in time," Luke suggested. "Which means you need to go pack and call Rory."

"Hm packing," Lorelai groaned. "Maybe if someone hadn't distracted me last night I could have packed."

"Me distracting you?" Luke asked, one eyebrow raised. "I believe it was the other way around. You were the one wearing that very sexy outfit when I came over last night."

"Like that, did you?" Lorelai questioned, when Luke nodded she continued on. "Well I have plenty more where that came from so my packing may just be very light for this trip."

Luke smirked. "I don't have a problem with that."

Lorelai laughed, "I suppose you wouldn't." She stretched up on her tip-toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Can you make some breakfast while I pack?"

Luke nodded. "I have to run to the store to get a few things then clear things up with Cesar about the next few days since I won't be there, but I can make you some breakfast once that's done."

"Hmm I knew there was a reason that I loved you," Lorelai smiled. She pulled him closer to her as she gave him another kiss.

A few kisses later, Luke was out the door and headed to both the store and the diner while Lorelai headed upstairs to pack. Her suitcase lay open on her bed next to the box that held her wedding dress. She grabbed her cellphone from the nightstand and quickly dialed Rory's number. She lifted the phone to her ear as she continued to move around the room trying to find things to pack.

"Good morning sweets," Lorelai greeted happily when Rory answered the phone.

"You sound very happy," Rory duly noted.

Lorelai grinned. "Indeed I am but before I tell you what I called you for, how are you? I mean has Logan already left? Are you okay?"

"He left before I got up," Rory replied. "It's going to be an adjustment with him there and me here but at least we had that party last night. I'll be fine."

"Good, good."

"So now are you going to tell me what you called me for? Or do I have to guess because I've barely had any coffee so now is not the time for guessing."

"Luke and I are eloping today," Lorelai blurted out.

"What?" Rory asked. "You're eloping? Today? When did this happen?"

"Well something happened last night and well that's another story for another time. But bottom line, Luke and I decided to elope. We were going to do it last night but I want you there so we decided that we were going to do it today," Lorelai replied. "So we're heading to Martha's Vineyard today to elope."

"Wow..so um...when do you leave? What do I need to do?" Rory asked still trying to process everything the information.

"We're leaving as soon as I get packed. Luke's already packed so I just have to finish packing," Lorelai replied as she shoved some clothes into her suitcase. She quickly grabbed shoes to match and stuffed those in her suitcase. "And all you have to do is be there for me. And you know pack a cute dress for the ceremony."

"I can do that," Rory promised, she already knew which dress she was going to pack. "So do I need to come to the house and follow you guys or just meet you somewhere or what?"

"Hmm well I haven't really thought about that," Lorelai said, she sat down on her bed. "I mean I guess you could just meet up at the ferry. Luke reserved you a room at the Inn we're staying at as well. But he wasn't sure how long you were going to stay."

"Okay, sounds good." Rory replied. "I'll probably just stay overnight because I have things I need to do here before the summer officially starts. Plus you two being newlyweds, you'll need time together without your daughter hanging around."

Lorelai giggled. "Yes, alone time for newlyweds is essential."

Rory finally asked the question that first popped in her head since her mother announced they were eloping. "So you're really happy about this? It's not too soon? I just thought you would want an actual wedding."

Lorelai sighed. "I don't really want to get into that right now. But Luke and I are sure about this and it's anything but too soon. We've postponed the wedding and it seemed like it wasn't going to happen so we're eloping. We're both happy about this and I want you to be happy about this too."

"I am happy for you mom, I'm happy for you both," Rory replied. "I know it's not too soon, not really. Does anyone else know about this?"

"Nope," Lorelai answered. She got up from the bed and went into the bathroom to pack some beauty essentials. "Just you. We'll tell everyone else later. But for now, only you, Luke, and I know."

"You do realize that the town is going to be mad that you two eloped right?" Rory asked.

"Well maybe once everything is settled, we'll throw a party or something to celebrate," Lorelai replied. "Right now, I'm settled on eloping today."

"They are still going to be mad," Rory said knowingly. "But I should really start packing, so I'll see you later then?"

"See you at the ferry babe," Lorelai said before clicking off the phone and setting it down on the bathroom counter.

After Lorelai hung up the phone with Rory, she continued moving around the room and finished her packing. To her surprise, she actually finished packing earlier than she usually did. She wasn't sure how long they were staying, they hadn't agreed on a number of days but she knew that she couldn't spend too long away from the Inn at the moment. So she packed enough for at least five days.

After packing, Lorelai called the Inn and informed Michel that she was taking a few days off. When asked why she needed the days off, she just said that she had personal business to take care off. She knew once Sookie heard she was gone that she would ask what the personal business was. So instead of keeping this just between her, Rory, and Luke, Lorelai made a call to Sookie and swore her to secrecy over the elopement. Sookie was excited over the news and agreed to keep the secret from everyone.

By the time Lorelai's suitcase looked like it was about to burst open and she was dressed and ready for the day, Luke was back and had breakfast prepared for Lorelai. She joined him downstairs where they shared a few relaxing moments together before they began a mad dash around the house trying to pack all of their things into Luke's truck so they could leave. Lorelai informed him of where they were meeting Rory and of her plans for how long she was going to stay in the Vineyard with them.

On the drive to the ferry, Luke and Lorelai passed the time by talking. They talked of a few things that they should get done before they would elope. Luke wanted to get Lorelai a wedding band to match her engagement ring, and of course Lorelai wanted to get Luke a wedding ring. Luke informed Lorelai that when he reserved a room at the Inn and asked about eloping, the man on the phone informed them that they could elope right there at the Inn. Since the Inn was ocean-side, they could even elope right on the beach. He also informed Lorelai that he had reserved a time that night for their elopement, which would give them just enough time to get the rings and anything else they might need for the small, intimate ceremony.

* * *

"Hey there Mr. and Mrs. Danes," Rory greeted once she found her mother and Luke on the ferry ride to Martha's Vineyard. They had met once before getting on the ferry but were separated in order to actually get on the ferry but Rory quickly found them after a phone call with her mother.

"Hey sweets," Lorelai smiled. She hugged her to daughter to her as she stood beside her. After hugging Rory, she looked up at Luke. "Wait, we didn't discuss that, am I taking your name or not?"

Luke sighed. "I would love for you to have my name, it's traditional but I want you to do whatever you want to do. You don't have to take my name."

"I would like too but I'm also a Gilmore, it's part of my identity. It's Rory's name too," Lorelai said, she looked over at her daughter. She looked back at Luke. "But if we have kids, they will be Danes and I want to be a part of that."

"What if you were to hyphenate your name?" Rory suggested. "Just do it like Gilmore-Danes. That way you have the Gilmore but you also have the Danes."

"That's a good idea," Lorelai beamed. "Lorelai Gilmore-Danes. I love the sound of that."

Luke wrapped an arm around Lorelai's waist and pulled her close to him, "I love it too."

The couple shared a quick kiss, keeping it short and sweet since Rory was present. On the ride over to the Vineyard, the couple and Rory made plans detailing exactly what they were going to do once they arrived in the Vineyard. The plans included stopping by the Inn first and checking into their respective rooms before heading out to jewelry stories in order to get wedding bands. Their plans also included the three of them all going out to dinner after the elopement ceremony so they could celebrate the newly found marriage.

Rory smiled watching her mother and Luke talk about other plans for the few days that they were going to spend in Martha's Vineyard after they eloped. Of course Rory already decided that she would leave sometime tomorrow to leave the happy couple to their honeymoon plans. This was the happiest that she had seen her mother in the past few months and she was glad to see her that way. After everything that went on with her mother and Luke the past few months, she was happy to see her mother with a genuine smile on her face. She still hadn't asked about April and if April knew of the news but she still wasn't sure how to approach the topic of April, especially around her mother. She knew that everything wasn't settled about April because there's no way that everything could be settled just overnight but she hoped that the elopement would being them close together and then any problems Anna might have concerning April and Lorelai, they could handle together.

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**Next chapter will be the ceremony.**

**Review please.**


	3. Mr and Mrs Danes

**Thanks for the reviews! Hope you enjoy the ceremony.**

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"How do I look?" Lorelai asked as she spun around to face Rory.

Rory smiled at her mother who was know standing before her in her wedding dress that she deemed as the perfect dress. "You look beautiful. I would even say that you are the most beautiful bride there ever was."

"Aww," Lorelai said as she stepped forward and wrapped her daughter in a hug. "That's why you're my favorite daughter."

"I bet you say that to all your daughters," Rory replied.

Lorelai laughed and pulled back from the hug. "But I only mean it with you." She moved back to the mirror and quickly brushed a few stray hairs back into place. "Luke said we're supposed to be down there at 7. How much time do we have?"

Rory glanced over at the clock on the table in the room. "We have a little time," she assured her mother. "Are you nervous?"

Lorelai shook her head before she crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Not really. I thought I would be but I'm not nervous. Just ready for this to happen."

Rory smiled and sat down next to her mother. "Well it won't be too much longer and you and Luke will be married."

Lorelai sighed, a smile on her face. "Yeah." She took Rory's hand in hers and squeezed it gently. "You know I could never do this without you by my side. It's one of the reasons that we didn't run away somewhere last night and elope. I wanted you to be here for this."

"I want to be here for this," Rory replied with a smile on her face. She smirked. "Plus I don't know if I could ever forgive you if I wasn't there for your wedding day."

Lorelai just shrugged her shoulders. "You would forgive me because I just happen to be marrying a man who makes the world's best coffee."

Rory laughed. "Yes you are."

Lorelai looked over at the clock and saw that they needed to leave within the next few minutes. "So you have both of the bands?"

Rory nodded. She got up from the bed, walked across the room, and grabbed her clutch from the dresser in the room. She opened it and retrieved her mother's wedding band as well as Luke's. "They are right here," she said before putting the bands back into the clutch.

Lorelai nodded. "Okay, good." She stood up from the bed and smoothed down her dress. "We should probably go ahead and go now."

Rory grinned, "Then let's go get you married."

Lorelai laughed and looped her arm with her daughter's. They exited their room and made their journey through the Inn and outside where the elopement ceremony would take place. Lorelai and Luke discussed a few options about the elopement ceremony with an event planner at the Inn and decided that their ceremony would take place outside in the gazebo that sat out on the beach. It was secluded enough to give them the privacy they wanted for the ceremony. The ceremony was going to be short and simple, and they both wouldn't have it any other way. Luke told Lorelai that he would be waiting in the gazebo for her.

And that's exactly where he was when Lorelai and Rory found their way to the gazebo. He was standing there with the man who would be officiating the ceremony. Lorelai and Rory stopped at the end of the small bridge that sat over the sand and led to the gazebo. As soon as she locked eyes with Luke, a huge smile spread across her face.

"Should I walk ahead of you or what?" Rory asked, she turned to face her mother.

Since their arms were still looped together, Lorelai pulled her daughter close to her side. "You, my dear, are going to walk me down the aisle. Or well bridge, whatever this is. You are walking with me."

The smile on Rory's face matched her mother's, "I will be happy to walk you down the aisle."

Lorelai looked back at the gazebo and at Luke. Luke turned to the man officiating the ceremony who gave him a nod indicating that it was time to begin the ceremony. Luke gave Lorelai the same nod and a smile telling her as well that it was now time to begin.

There was no traditional wedding-march music as Lorelai and Rory walked towards the gazebo, only the soft sounds of the waves crashing on the beach. Not that it mattered to Lorelai because all she could focus on was Luke. Her eyes stay locked on his. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest with every step she took towards Luke. Nerves began to set in the closer she got to Luke but she knew that they were the good kind of nerves. The nerves that people should experience when getting married.

Luke couldn't believe just how lucky he was to be in the position he was in now. Just last night he was at risk for losing Lorelai and now here they were not even a full twenty-four hours later about to get married. He was so incredibly glad that he didn't just let her walk away and that he went after her. Who knows where they would have been if he didn't chase after her. They sure as hell wouldn't be here. Sure, they still had things to figure out but there would be nothing that they couldn't handle together.

His heart caught in his throat as Lorelai neared him. She was the most beautiful bride that he had ever seen. He already saw the dress once before but seeing it in this context was completely different. She was now wearing it just for him, a symbol of the journey that they were about to embark on. She looked even more beautiful in the dress now than she did when he first saw her in it. The smile on his face grew even wider when Lorelai and Rory stopped in front of him.

Rory let go of her Lorelai's arm and held her mother's hand out to Luke. "Your bride," she said with a smile as she looked up at the man in question.

"Thank you," Luke replied with a smile.

Luke took Lorelai's hand in his and directed her to stand directly in front of him while Rory moved to stand on her mother's side. The marriage officiant looked to Luke and Lorelai to see if they were ready to begin. When they both gave a nod of their heads, he began to speak.

"Luke, Lorelai," he addressed the couple. When he noticed the couple both looking in Rory's direction he looked to her, "And um...I'm sorry. I don't know your name. I was only told of the couple."

Rory let out a small giggle. "It's Rory."

The marriage officiant nodded. "Luke, Lorelai, and Rory, we are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, the uniting of two souls in holy matrimony. You are giving recognition to the worth and beauty of love as you join together in the vows of marriage."

Lorelai felt her eyes begin to water as she continued to look up at Luke and as the marriage officiant carried on with the ceremony. She smiled feeling Luke squeeze her hand softly.

"Today your two lives will merge together to form a very beautiful marriage. To make your marriage work, it will take love. Love is the reason that you are here today. Love should be the core of your marriage. But it will also take trust and dedication," the marriage officiant continued. "You will need to stay open with one another, to grow and share your lives together. It will also take faith and commitment to make your marriage work. You will need to hold true to the journey you are pledging today to share together."

Lorelai blinked back tears at just how true the words were. Going forward they were both going to have to be open and allow one another in. It's what she wanted to happen when April came along but Luke didn't let her in. She knew now that things would be different. They were both pledging for things to be different and they would both honor that commitment as they moved forward. Things were beginning to look up for them.

The marriage officiant then turned slightly towards Luke. "Luke, do you take Lorelai to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her?"

Luke smiled as he looked at Lorelai. His voice was strong and steady as he uttered the words, "I do." He earned a bright smile from his bride.

"Lorelai," the marriage officiant said as he turned towards Lorelai. "Do you take Luke to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him?"

"I do," Lorelai said. When she realized the words came out just as a whisper, she laughed and cleared her throat. "I do," she repeated, this time louder and clearer than before. She, in turn, earned a smile from her groom.

"The rings?" the marriage officiant asked.

"Oh I have those," Rory announced. She retrieved the rings from her clutch and placed them in his outstretched hand.

He handed the small silver band out to Luke. "Repeat after me," he said before reciting the vows that Luke would need to repeat in just a few seconds.

Luke held the ring between his fingers as he repeated the words. "I, Luke Danes, take thee Lorelai Gilmore to be my wife. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you." He slid the small band onto the finger where her engagement ring sat. "With this ring, I thee wed."

Lorelai grinned now that it was her turn. She held Luke's wedding band as the marriage officiant once again repeated the vows she would promise to Luke. She quickly wiped at a few stray tears that managed to roll down her cheek before she spoke up.

"I, Lorelai Gilmore, take thee Luke Danes to be my husband. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you." Lorelai easily slid the wedding band onto the correct finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

Rory sniffled and wiped away the tears as she watched this wonderful moment. Her mother and Luke looked like the happiest couple in the world as they stood in front of one another, no one speaking except the marriage officiant.

"Lorelai and Luke, in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in Matrimony, have promised your love for each other by these vows, I now declare you to be Husband and Wife," he declared proudly. "Congratulations, you may kiss your bride."

Luke didn't need to be told twice as he took Lorelai into his arms and kissed her sweetly. Her arm soon wound around his neck, she kissed him back just as sweetly. To the side of them, Rory broke out in enough cheers and applause to sound as if more then just her were actually there. This caused the couple to laugh as they broke apart from one another.

"Congratulations," the marriage officiant offered before leaving the happy couple and Rory to celebrate the good news.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Danes," Rory said happily when the couple turned to face her.

"Oh come here you," Lorelai said before she threw her arms around Rory and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I love you sweets."

Rory sniffled again. "I love you too Mom."

After her hug with her mother ended, Rory stepped forward and gave Luke a hug. "Congratulations," she repeated. "And welcome to the family."

Luke chuckled. "Thank you Rory."

Rory pulled back from the hug and produced a digital camera from the clutch in her hands. "Okay now you two smile and act like a happy married couple."

Luke wrapped his arm around Lorelai's waist and pulled her to his side as they smiled and posed for a few pictures. Lorelai smiled and tilted her head back to look up at Luke while Rory continued to snap away pictures. Lorelai cupped the side of his face and turned him towards her. He smiled before pressing his lips to her once again. Rory captured the moment on her camera.

After snapping a few more pictures, Lorelai made sure that she and Rory had pictures together. And even took a few photos of just Rory and Luke. They set the timer on the camera to snap a few photos of the three of them as well. Once they were satisfied that they had enough pictures to put into a scrapbook, they decided that it was time to get changed out of their wedding clothes into something a little more casual and head out to a restaurant to celebrate the marriage.

* * *

"So when are you going to tell Grandma and Grandpa that you eloped?" Rory asked later that night as they sat in a restaurant enjoying the dessert that followed their dinner.

Lorelai thought back to the night in the real-estate office with her mother when she admitted that the wedding wasn't going to happen. Emily questioned her about what she meant but Lorelai quickly brushed it off and just said that she needed to get home soon. But now a wedding did happen but not how her mother would have wanted it to happen. She was extremely happy though so she wasn't going to worry too much about Emily's reaction now. Since Emily was willing to buy them a house she could be happy about the news. Then again, she might be upset that she wasn't there and that there was no wedding.

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I'll tell them sometime soon. Maybe at our next Friday Night dinner."

"That's not for a few weeks," Rory pointed out. "Since they are on vacation."

"Well then maybe I'll call them. They will know soon enough," Lorelai explained. She thought for a moment. "How about this, I'll call them," she looked towards Luke. "Well Luke and I will call them and tell them the news over the phone once we get back in Stars Hollow. That way we can enjoy a few days here on our honeymoon."

"We'll call them when we get back," Luke agreed.

"And what about the town?" Rory asked, a sly grin on her face. "You know that they are going to be upset that they weren't there to see you two get married."

Luke groaned and Lorelai laughed. "We can find a way to make them forgive us. They couldn't stay mad at us for too long, we're fixtures in the community. Both prominent business owners."

"True," Rory agreed, "But you know they liked to be involved in absolutely everything so they are at least going to be a little upset that they weren't there."

"I may have an idea," Luke said drawing the attention of both his newly wedded wife and his now step-daughter.

"And what would this idea be, handsome husband of mine?" Lorelai asked.

"What if we were to have a party or something?" Luke suggested.

"You, Mr. Uber Monk, want to throw a party?" Lorelai asked, she was slightly amused by the situation. "You don't go to many town events and now you want to throw an event for the town?"

"We were going to have a wedding anyways," Luke explained. "This would be something similar just without all the wedding events."

"Hmm," Lorelai pondered. "It couldn't hurt. Throw a party to celebrate with everyone in Stars Hollow, we could do that."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Rory added. "I can help if you need me to help plan."

"We'll talk about it more later. But it does sound like a good idea," Lorelai agreed. She looked expectantly towards Luke. She didn't exactly want to tread those waters right this minute but she couldn't stop herself. "And perhaps we could even invite April to come celebrate with us."

Luke hesitated for just a moment. Since he and Lorelai were now married, Anna should have no problem with April hanging around Lorelai. And if she did, then he would let her know that April was his daughter too. April was now a part of his life and that meant that Lorelai would also be a part of April's life. They would work things out.

When he noticed Lorelai shift her gaze away from him, he noticed that she was trying not to look disappointed that he was taking so long to answer. He placed his fingers on his chin and turned her head towards him.

"We'll invite April. She will need to be there to celebrate with us," Luke said earning a smile of relief from Lorelai.

"You mean it?" Lorelai asked.

Luke nodded. "I definitely mean it," he said confidently. "April will be there. You two can spend some time together."

Rory smiled at her mother and Luke, the dynamics were beginning to shift in their relationship. Luke seemed willing to let Lorelai in on that part of his life that he kept hidden from her for so long now. It was about time. She never liked how unhappy her mother was these past few months, but she felt helpless like she couldn't do anything to remedy the situation. But things were beginning to remedy themselves.

"I think I'm going to head back to the Inn now," Rory announced. "Let you two have some alone time since you are newlyweds and all."

"If you sure," Lorelai replied. She didn't want to be rude and tell Rory to leave but she definitely wanted some alone time with her husband at the moment. "We can all have breakfast tomorrow before you leave."

Rory smiled. "Sounds good. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Once Rory was out of sight, Lorelai leaned closer to Luke. She trailed her hand up and down his thigh, moving higher up his thigh every time. "So Mr. Danes," she whispered in his ear. "As husband and wife, I think we have a little business to take care of tonight. A consummation of the marriage."

Lorelai giggled as Luke all but jumped up from the table and called for their waiter to bring the bill. Once the bill was paid, Luke grabbed Lorelai's hand and led her out of the restaurant. They quickly made their way to his truck and drove to the Inn.

* * *

Luke swept Lorelai up into his arms and carried her bridal-style into their room at the Inn. He strode across the room with Lorelai still in his arms. She let out a squeal as Luke dropped her onto the bed. She moved to get off of the bed but Luke hovered above her and gently laid her back down.

"I have something special that I want to change into for our wedding night," Lorelai informed him.

Luke ran his hand up her thigh, the material of her dress bunched up and moved with every motion of his hand. "You can wear it, later. I love this dress on you and I want to be the one to take it off of you."

Lorelai smiled, "I'm glad you approve of it. I bought it with you in mind." She moaned softly as Luke continued his ministrations on her thigh.

Lorelai cupped both sides of his face and pulled him up to her. She kissed him passionately, pouring all the love she felt for Luke into the kiss. They kissed until oxygen became a necessity. Luke began trailing kisses down her neck. He nibbled, licked, and sucked on all her most sensitive spots. She moaned loudly and tilted her head to the side to give him better access.

Luke moved from her neck and feathered kisses on her face before kissing her sweetly on the lips. "Hello Mrs. Danes."

Lorelai smiled brightly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. "Hello Mr. Danes." She played with the small curls at the nape of his neck. "We're married now."

Luke grinned. "And I couldn't be happier."

"Me either."

* * *

**Please leave a review, let me know your thoughts.**


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